Followed
by Tobieth
Summary: A certain shy shadow indulges in a hobby regarding a certain bold and brash ninja. What would happen if Hinata was caught obsessing by the one she obsessed over? It was bound to happen sometime. R&R's are appreciated!
1. Off to a good start

**A/N: Welcome to those looking for a good read! I hope much of this story lives up to your expectations. Criticism is appreciated! The story is set before the time-skip but late into the fillers (because Hinata gets cool stuff and character development there). I don't plan on this being too long or intimate, I was just playing on the idea of Hinata getting caught stalking Naruto. The boy's a ninja for God's sake. Shouldn't he be able to pin point a shy shadow stalking him?  
Once you're done, take the time to write a review! It just makes me feel awesome, because people who write reviews are awesome and even a 'That was nice.' leaves me feeling happy.**

_I do not own Naruto or any of it's affiliates. If I did, Hinata would be a main character and I'd be a happy man._

**What would ever happen if 12-year old Hinata was caught in her obessesion by the one she was obsessing over? Well, I think this would.**

_Off to a Good Start_

The sun shown brightly on Konoha village. The clear blue sky was streaked with wispy clouds and promised fair weather to the sun-kissed ninja settlement. The streets were bustling with their usual business, along with numerous children and adults out to enjoy the day's warmth. One youth in particular was relishing the light on his face while he made the trek to his favourite ramen stand.

Uzumaki Naruto's day seemed to be getting better by the minute. From the moment he woke up, the energetic ninja could feel today was going to be great. His usual breakfast of cup ramen and milk seemed to taste better than usual. During his morning training in the forest he did not fall down once while walking on trees with chakra nor did he soak himself while doing the same on the river's surface.

When he moved onto target practice, Naruto was excited to try out his new "shadow clone targets" method. He had thought of the idea last night when realizing that static targets on trees and training posts did not reflect real combat situations. Not only that, but it was "kinda boring". Naruto was immensely proud of himself when his new invention worked out. He even only missed four times out of fourteen throws.

Naruto did not have a mission today either, so he had taken the opportunity to have a nice long shower after coming back from the forest. To top it off, when he greeted Sakura on the streets she gave him the sweetest smile.

"Things can't get better than this!" The blonde boy grinned widely up to the sun, placing his hands behind his head as he continued towards his intended lunch stop. "Unless there's ramen. Then things would **definitely** be better!" His ears twitched, picking up an unusual sound through the crowd.

"Eh?" Naruto half turned and looked over his shoulder. Finding nothing spectacular about the cable post behind him, Naruto kept walking. "Must've been a cat or something." Said "cat" was holding her breath while pressing tightly against the wooden pole the selectively observant ninja had recently looked at, the blush painted on her face easily identifying her.

--

Hyuuga Hinata was also following her routine for her days off. After bathing and taking breakfast in the Hyuuga estate's dining hall she headed out to do some training with her team. After the Chunnin exams she worked harder and harder with each day, striving to excel at being a shinobi. It was all thanks to him.

Recently she had been working on adding power to the techniques she already knew. Hinata only halted her log striking when she smeared blood on the smoothed bark. Shino had to tell her to stop and offered to help in a less physically demanding activity, seeing the state of her hands. He sent out chakra charged bugs for Hinata to find.

It was difficult locating the small insects, but she had found all of them along with something else: Naruto. In fact, Hinata found _several_Narutos. After quickly excusing herself she engaged in another…slightly less endorsed aspect of her vacation routine. Watching from behind a tree, the pale-eyed girl had smiled when Naruto whooped with joy after pinning down the last of his clones. His face looked so happy and it made her heart soar.

Right now however, Hinata was clutching her chest trying to stop it from exploding. Questions flew through her mind at sonic speeds. Had he seen her? What would he think if he knew she was following him? Would he brand her a creep? A weirdo? Someone he would never like?

Hinata's last thought raked its icy claws across her heart. She slumped against her hiding spot. Things just seemed so hopeless at times. She had seen the way Naruto beamed after Sakura had given him that smile. Although Hinata was usually elated when Naruto was that happy, the reason behind his high spirits had her own sinking.

Sakura was pretty, outspoken and smart, where as Hinata viewed herself as weak, shy and plain. Sakura had brilliant emerald-green eyes while Hinata thought of hers as pale, opaque and unexciting. Why would Naruto ever be interested in a shy, dark, unattractive weirdo?

Hinata wrapped her arms around her knees, feeling the need to hug something. Some passers by looked at her funny and one even came to see if she was alright, but Hinata ignored them. She winced at a pain in her hands when she gripped her pants tightly. Startled, she looked down at the bandages binding her practice wounds.

No…she couldn't give up. Naruto would respect her determination if nothing else, like during the Chunnin exams and their missions together. Hinata wiped tears from her eyes and promptly activated her Byakugan. She could do this.

--

Naruto frowned when his stomach rumbled. "There's no way I forgot the way to Ichikraku's…" His frown deepened. The gurgling in his gut told him otherwise. "Those damn training trips with Ero-Sennin…" He muttered. He was starting to worry that going out and seeing the world was making him forget about his home.

The smells around him notified Naruto that he was in the right area at least. The restaurant and entertainment district always smelled awesome. He breathed in deeply, slowly savouring all the sensational scents and let out a satisfied sigh. "Hmmm?" He turned around when one smell in particular caught his attention. Walking up to a vendor at the side of the street, Naruto placed his order. He didn't notice the small 'Eep!' that floated out from an alley near his destination.

"Hey! Old man! One squid on a stick please!" The man running the stall handed over the spitted seafood after receiving the proper amount of coins. Naruto's face lit up upon getting his snack. "Thanks a bunch!" He took a bite out of the roasted treat. The warm chewy meat felt good going down.

The cheerful youth started to hum nothing specific while munching on his pre-ramen meal. He started to walk in the direction of his real intended lunch but stopped mid-hum. He turned around, but not after smelling a potential treat. There was that sound again…the same footstep pattern and stopping sound from before. Scanning the area quickly with his eyes Naruto found nothing out of place. He shrugged and began to walk again, all the while eating the squid. He kept his vision behind him for a few moments more, but decided a frontal view was necessary after bumping into a very irate and muscular looking man.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin' kid!" Naruto stuck his lip out and shook a half eaten squid shish-kabob at the person. "I was walkin' here too buddy! I'm a ninja y'know!" He jabbed a thumb at his headband. "You shouldn't be bumping into us military types!" The man grumbled something about child soldiers and continued on his way.

Scratching his head, Naruto thought for a minute. "What was I doing again?" Absentmindedly he took a bite out of his squid. After chewing for a few seconds he remembered with a grin. "Oh right, ramen!" Humming again Naruto carried on toward the Ichiraku ramen stand.

--

A crate near a group of boxes containing fruit exploded into a cloud of smoke. Hinata took a deep breath to calm herself; if she had not transformed so quickly she might have been caught. In a way this was training in itself. "I-It's reconnaissance and concealment, right?"

Hinata smiled while whispering those words to herself. The thought of relating her pursuit of Naruto to training made her feel better about it. Sure she was stalking him, but isn't that what she's supposed to do? She was a ninja after all. Hinata crept forward, keeping close to lampposts, fence edges and alleyways. Hinata stifled a giggle. "Maybe this can be like a mission…"

Hinata failed to suppress her next giggle and immediately hid behind the alley wall she had poked out of. As her heart jumped into her throat she scolded herself; not only for giggling but for the fact that she was so jumpy. Was it even possible for Naruto to hear her at this noisy time?

Hinata started again when a door opened near her. A rather bored looking man in a cook's uniform came out baring a green garbage bag. He raised a lazy eyebrow at Hinata, dropped his load into the dumpster and slunk back inside. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, triggering her blood limit. Quickly locating Naruto, she pressed on.

--

The blonde boy in question was getting uneasy. He looked over his shoulder for the umpteenth time. Something was following him. The question of how discreet Akatsuki could be floated through his mind. Thinking back to his first encounter with the criminals Naruto remembered that he did not sense them at all. This fact put his current issue at ease, but churned in the back of his mind on deeper problems.

Detection was still one of his weak points, even though Jaraiya had trained him some. Naruto pouted a little. "Damn pervert. He still hasn't come back to take me on like he promised!" Naruto polished off the last of his squid. He was about to chuck out the skewer when he realized something. If HE was able to detect whoever was following him, then it must be someone like Konohamaru! Mischief played across Naruto's features. Well this guy was in for one hell of a surprise!


	2. Watch Out HinaChan!

**A/N: Welcome to the second chapter of Followed! I hope you enjoyed the last one because this one contains much fluff; marshmallow caliber fluff. Anyone that cannot deal might have to read something else with stuff like...violence. xD Anyway, there is one chapter more after this one which will bring the fic to it's end.  
I really enjoy reading your reviews, so drop one after you're done! Please?**

_I do not own Naruto or any of it's affiliates. That would kick ass. Really._

**How does Hyuuga Hinata deal with getting caught red-handed? Or rather, red-faced? Find out in this chapter!**

_Watch Out Hina-chan!_

Lavender eyes tracked Naruto to a bend in the road. He rounded the corner and Hinata stimulated her Byakugan. She knitted her brows in confusion. Where did he go?

Pumping a little more chakra into her eyes, Hinata expanded her field of vision. Confusion turned in panic. Had she been found? No other explanation came to mind for why he had disappeared. Maybe if she snuck away slowly…

Hinata gasped at the object thudding right beside her. She had only a split second to register the projectile as it exited her blind spot and hit the pole she was hiding behind. Daring not to move, Hinata checked what it was through her chakra enhanced vision. "…A meat skewer?"

After a more detailed examination of the offending item she almost jumped out of her skin. 'Smoke bombs?!' The small black spheres dangling from the skewer exploded into a large cloud of acrid air. Waves of panic washed over Hinata and the rest of the busy street. Even with her Byakugan it was difficult to see because the smoke distorted the air around her.

By reflex the slight girl moved into the Hyuuga fighting stance. The person trying to grab her missed and only met with a chakra filled palm. Hinata expected it to hurt her damaged hands, but her would-be assailant exploded into a puff of air, causing the surprised shinobi to follow through into empty space. Her arm pulled her off balance and Hinata prepared to meet the ground.

"All right buddy, what's your game?" All of a sudden Hinata was jerked up and spun around to face the owner of the loud voice as the smoke cleared. Hinata, in contrast, let out only a soft yelp of surprise when she was twirled to look at a very victorious seeming Naruto. The huge grin plastered all over his face melted to an expression of bewilderment. "…Hinata?"

The girl in question had already turned a fine shade of crimson while she scrambled for an explanation as to how this had happened. Assuming the stick had come from Naruto…that must mean that he was in her blind spot! How could he have known about that? Was he just lucky or did he know it was her from the start? He had never caught her in earlier years. How…?

_"_Oi_, Hiiiinaaaataaaa." _Hinata twitched out of her internal dialogue with a gasp. She had totally zoned out. She cringed on the inside. At the moment nothing seemed better than seeping into the cracks in the road. She was caught. She was publicly humiliated. The great Hyuuga clan had been defeated by a meat spit and smoke.

Naruto stuck his lip out and rubbed the back of his head. 'Boy, she sure is weird.' A little voice at the back of his brain reminded him that he liked weird people; it made them easier to relate to. Naruto shook his head slightly and repeated his question with more than a little concern. "I asked if you were the one following me." 'Man, if I caught the wrong guy…'

Hinata's heart skipped a beat. She had a way out if he didn't know it was her. Her mouth opened, but when no words came forth she promptly shut it and blushed a hue of red Naruto never knew could appear on a person's face. As fast as her heart was beating, Hinata could feel it falling. She probably looked like a complete idiot already, and she couldn't bring herself to lie to him.

"I-I…a-a-ano…" Words abandoned the poor girl and all she managed was a tiny strangled noise. The blonde in front of her scratched at his head. "Also, why are your eyes like that? Are you using your Byakugan?" It was a strange sight to see the vein covered eyes wide in surprise.

Hinata's eyes got wider at this comment and she felt a stab at her chest. How could she be so dumb? It was almost too much. She felt dizzy. Her heart was pounding. The world started to spin. Beginning to breathe heavily, she leaned up against the telephone pole. Hinata gathered up a tremendous amount of willpower to stay standing. 'Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint…'

Naruto was very worried now. 'Shit…I did catch the wrong person. Did I make Hinata upset?' The blonde boy watched uncomfortably as Hinata struggled to collect herself. Feeling useless was not a sentiment Naruto enjoyed. "Hinata? You uhh…okay?"

The girl breathed a deep, shuddering sigh and shut her eyes tightly, stopping the chakra flow to them. The engorged veins around her temples receded but Hinata still felt as if her face were on fire. 'But at least I didn't faint…'

Naruto shifted nervously from foot to foot. This was embarrassing…he needed to save face. "Hey, uhm…I guess you weren't the one following me." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm really, really sorry!"

Hinata looked up. She didn't really know what to say. Technically she wasn't lying if she didn't say anything. But still… "N-Naruto-kun, a-ano…"

The blue-eyed ninja felt his stomach grumble. He smiled as an idea hit him, cutting the quieter shinobi off. "Well I was just about to go eat some ramen. Wanna come?" The small girl in front of him went still as a statue. Suddenly Naruto understood why. Looking away, he felt a blush crawl up his face. "Well you know…to make it up to you and stuff…" he muttered. "Not like a date or anything…" Ramen was one of the greatest foods in the world. If that wouldn't make Hinata feel better, what would?

Glancing out of the corner of his vision, Naruto gauged Hinata's reaction. 'Oh good, she's smiling. She's pretty cute when she does that…' Naruto quickly found somewhere else to look again. What was he thinking? Sakura is who he liked…right?

Indeed the shy girl's mouth curved slightly into a smile. The way he had stumbled over his offer made her relax some; it made her feel as if she wasn't the only nervous one. The colour in Hinata's face faded to a pastel pink dusting over her cheeks. "I-I…a-a-ano, sure…"

"Great! Let's get going; I'm starved!" Naruto grinned widely. He had never really shared lunch with anyone but Iruka-sensei and that one time Team Seven wanted to see Kakashi-sensei's face. He wondered for a moment what would have happened if he had asked Sakura-chan. Immediately a grimace crossed his face. Sakura usually turned down lunch with a punch…or several depending on how he asked. 'Well…it's not a date.' Naruto thought. 'Is it?' He looked over to his side, only to find no one there.

"Huh-?" Hinata collided into Naruto's back when he stopped. Both ninjas' butts met the road rather painfully. The orange-clad boy rubbed his rear as he picked himself up. "Itte…You okay Hinata?" The dark haired girl stood up and nodded shyly but flinched for a second. She had tried to break the fall with her hands; bad idea. Her crush laughed. "You know, it'd be less dangerous if you walked _beside_ me."

Hinata's definitive blush now returned with a vengeance. She stole a quick glance at the smiling blonde and stiffly walked over to his left. Naruto looked at her in mock dismay. "Aw come on, it's not that bad is it?" The boy may have been joking, but inside he was insecure.

How many times had he asked Sakura to join him on his ramen escapades only to have a fist planted in his gut or a knock on the head? Girls had never really been Naruto's thing…outside his team he had very little contact with them and he could hardly call the people Jiraiya hung out with "girls". For all his bluster he never really expected any kind of returned feelings from Sakura or any other girl for that matter. It had been a given most of the time that people disliked him.

Obtaining his precious people was one of the best things that had ever happened to Naruto. However, those special feelings that someone else had for another were still a mystery. All Ero-Sennin had taught him on that topic, really, was that guys like girls and girls liked guys…and that sometimes girls liked girls and guys liked guys but the hairy reprobate waved off any questions about that particular subject. How could anyone feel that way about him when he didn't even understand it?

Naruto's question hit Hinata like a pound of bricks. "I--No!" Hinata covered her mouth when she said that a little too loud. She took in the "worry" on Naruto's face and misinterpreted the joke. "N-No…ano, i-it's very nice to walk beside Naruto-kun…" Hinata had _dreamed_of times like this; it was much more than just "nice". To be this close…even going to lunch! She had never had ramen before either. "Ano, w-where are we…w-where are w-we going…Naruto-kun?" Hinata bit her lip. She had to do something about her stutter one of these days.

The boy stopped and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I dunno actually." Naruto began to mutter to himself. "I could always find it before, but today…" The blond had said the last words to himself, but Hinata listened to all of it; she always listened to what Naruto said. She tried to work up the courage to suggest something. "Ano…m-maybe…maybe you c-could…ano…"

Naruto cocked an ear toward Hinata and moved closer. "Eh? You say something Hinata? Speak up 'tebayo." The timid girl drew away with a blush. She shut her eyes and spoke in a rush. "I-I thought m-m-maybe…y-you could…you could ask for d-directions!" After speaking Hinata slowly opened her eyes and brought her fingers in front of her mouth, standing in a protective posture. Naruto was just looking at her. Oh no, she'd said something stupid. Hinata swallowed and fought the urge to close her eyes again. She had to take what was coming no matter the response and stand tall; it was her Ninja Way.

Naruto blinked for a few seconds and then broke out in a smile. "Huh, I never thought of it that way. You're really smart Hinata!" The energetic boy never needed to ask directions to most places, much less his favourite ramen haunt. Usually he got where he wanted eventually through memory or explored general areas when he felt like finding somewhere new.

However at the moment Naruto was hungry and that alwayscalled for immediate action. He ran to the nearest person, leaving a stunned and cherry red Hinata in his wake. The shy girl was still reeling from the blatant complement she had received from her idol.

"Oh Ichiraku's?" The motherly looking woman Naruto had questioned pointed farther down the street. "I heard they moved their shop to a larger place over that way a week ago." This answer was followed by shouts of joy from the orange clad ninja. "Alright! Thanks lady!" The woman smiled kindly in reply and waved good-bye to the fleeing boy. "I hope you find it."

Naruto stopped in his dash down the bustling road after remembering something. He ran back to a statuesque Hyuuga girl. The pale eyed ninja jumped when Naruto touched her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze. "C'mon Hinata! We don't want to miss the specials for lunch!"

With that he was off like a rocket with Hinata in tow. She allowed herself to be lead through the crowd by her hero and smiled through the deep blush present on her face. Letting out a small giggle, only one thought resounded in Hinata's mind, 'It's almost a dream come true.'


End file.
